Welding hood, gloves and tools in hand, hardworking welders want every dollar they are paid to take them as far as possible. Industrial Trades Pros investigated for you: “Which cities of the top 50 metropolitan areas are the best or worst paying for welders when you take into account the cost of living?”
We used average pay rate data from Indeed and combined it with cost of living index data from C2ER. The idea behind the study is that a dollar earned in a more expensive city is actually worth less than a dollar earned in a less expensive city. At two extremes, $10 dollars earned in San Francisco, California with a cost of living index of 164 is equivalent to $6.09 in purchasing power (i.e. buying food, paying rent, etc.), while $10 dollars earned in Indianapolis, Indiana with a cost of living index of 87.2 is actually equivalent to $11.47 in purchasing power.
From its data set, Industrial Trades Pros has assembled a list of the adjusted pay levels for welders in the top 49 largest metropolitan areas in the United States (sorry it’s not an even 50, but there wasn’t enough data for welder pay rates in Providence, RI!).
The results will surprise you. With 49 cities, adjusted average hourly pay levels range from $12.69 all the way up to $22.71. You might expect the most expensive cities to provide the least value to its welders, but that is not the case.
See the best and worst U.S. cities to make a living as a welder, ranked from worst to best.
Population: 13,353,907
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.31
Cost of Living Index: 136.40
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $12.69
Population: 4,727,357
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.98
Cost of Living Index: 164.00
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $12.79
Population: 1,998,463
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.12
Cost of Living Index: 156.10
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $12.89
Population: 4,580,670
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.52
Cost of Living Index: 112.50
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $13.80
Population: 6,216,589
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.91 (Welder/Fabricator)
Cost of Living Index: 140.10
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $14.21
Population: 20,320,876
Average Welder Pay Rate: $23.03
Cost of Living Index: 159.00
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $14.48
Population: 9,533,040
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.18
Cost of Living Index: 116.90
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $14.70
Population: 2,058,844
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.09
Cost of Living Index: 101.00
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $14.94
Population: 2,324,884
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.80
Cost of Living Index: 116.20
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.32
Population: 6,158,824
Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.44
Cost of Living Index: 106.00
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.51
Population: 2,128,912
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.45
Cost of Living Index: 97.80
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.80
Population: 1,136,856
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.59
Cost of Living Index: 95.80
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.27
Population: 2,808,175
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.45
Cost of Living Index: 119.40
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.29
Population: 2,473,974
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.78
Cost of Living Index: 95.70
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.49
Population: 2,115,827
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.75
Cost of Living Index: 95.50
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.49
Population: 2,179,082
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.51
Cost of Living Index: 93.80
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.54
Population: 3,867,046
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.20
Cost of Living Index: 121.40
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.64
Population: 2,807,338
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.05
Cost of Living Index: 90.40
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.65
Population: 2,078,725
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.39
Cost of Living Index: 92.00
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.73
Population: 5,884,736
Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.09
Cost of Living Index: 95.60
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.83
Population: 3,337,685
Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.29
Cost of Living Index: 132.30
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.85
Population: 3,600,618
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.80
Cost of Living Index: 111.00
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.94
Population: 1,383,737
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.68
Cost of Living Index: 91.70
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.10
Population: 4,836,531
Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.86
Cost of Living Index: 132.50
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.25
Population: 7,399,662
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.88
Cost of Living Index: 91.90
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.28
Population: 2,453,168
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.32
Cost of Living Index: 111.30
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.36
Population: 4,737,270
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.57
Cost of Living Index: 100.70
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.45
Population: 1,293,953
Average Welder Pay Rate: $15.40
Cost of Living Index: 87.70
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.56
Population: 1,149,807
Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.18
Cost of Living Index: 90.80
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.82
Population: 2,509,831
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.47
Cost of Living Index: 97.80
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.86
Population: 1,576,236
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.23
Cost of Living Index: 101.90
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.89
Population: 1,725,246
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.03
Cost of Living Index: 111.70
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.93
Population: 3,091,399
Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.61
Cost of Living Index: 92.40
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.98
Population: 4,313,002
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.92
Cost of Living Index: 99.40
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.03
Population: 2,028,614
Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.08
Cost of Living Index: 87.20
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.44
Population: 2,204,079
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.91
Cost of Living Index: 101.90
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.56
Population: 1,335,079
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.23
Cost of Living Index: 98.20
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.56
Population: 6,096,120
Average Welder Pay Rate: $23.80
Cost of Living Index: 126.50
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.81
Population: 1,203,105
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.00
Cost of Living Index: 100.60
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.89
Population: 1,903,045
Average Welder Pay Rate: $16.84
Cost of Living Index: 88.90
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.94
Population: 2,333,367
Average Welder Pay Rate: $17.59
Cost of Living Index: 91.50
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.22
Population: 2,525,305
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.24
Cost of Living Index: 93.20
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.57
Population: 1,504,980
Average Welder Pay Rate: $18.36
Cost of Living Index: 92.90
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.76
Population: 1,210,259
Average Welder Pay Rate: $24.09
Cost of Living Index: 121.80
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.78
Population: 2,888,227
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.54
Cost of Living Index: 103.20
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.90
Population: 6,892,427
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.19
Cost of Living Index: 92.20
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.81
Population: 1,275,762
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.64
Cost of Living Index: 97.00
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $21.28
Population: 1,294,204
Average Welder Pay Rate: $19.66
Cost of Living Index: 90.80
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $21.65
Population: 1,348,260
Average Welder Pay Rate: $20.03
Cost of Living Index: 88.20
Adjusted Average Welder Pay Rate: $22.71
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